Projecting Córdoba: business owners value the horizon of predictability

Businesspeople from different sectors such as real estate, construction, and materials sales expressed their support for the corrections that Javier Milei's government has been making in the macroeconomy.

They did so within the framework of Proyectar Córdoba, an event organized by the Córdoba Urban Developers Business Chamber (Ceduc).

They expressed confidence, highlighted the horizon of predictability, and stated that for the first time in many years, there is "light at the end of the tunnel."

Lucas Salim, Proaco's director, stated during the first day that the sector is anticipating a change of cycle.

"The truth is that we're learning to do business again in an Argentina that was coming from extremely complicated situations for managing businesses; there were no prices," he told La Derecha Diario.

"The predictability provided by the new scenario is valued, even though we're currently on a plateau. However, we see a light at the end of the tunnel after many years, with banks talking about mortgage loans again and great demand for housing from young people," said Horacio Parga from Grupo Edisur.

"We were used to a scenario of rising inflation and periodic devaluations that, for our sector, was positive because it made products in dollars cheaper for investors and prices rose faster than costs," he added.

Scenario with decreasing inflation

"This is an unexpected scenario, with decreasing inflation and a falling exchange rate. We believe a cycle with better prices and lower costs is coming," he concluded.

Meanwhile, Joaquín Malbrán, head of Eduardo Malbrán Real Estate Operators, highlighted that the current scenario will help cleanse the market once the residual stock is exhausted.

"These scenarios cleanse the sector, so those who are not from the field stop building," he indicated.

He also referred to the Government's measures for savers to use the dollars kept under the mattress. "They've been driving demand. In addition, rental yields have improved and are now at 6% to 7% in dollars. The saver who kept dollars in a safe deposit box for 24 months and lost out to inflation is now seeking a return," he illustrated.

Strategy for managing stocks

José Luis Acevedo, president of Grupo Canter, stated that the decrease in inflation achieved by the Government forces a rethink of the strategy for managing stocks.

"We had stockpiles due to price uncertainty. We managed to protect ourselves, and the stock helped us cushion the blows of inflation. Today, both factories and businesses are moving toward a more just-in-time stock policy," he said.

For the head of Ceduc and Grupo GNI, Roque Lenti, a new stage is beginning, very different from previous years when costs were very low and there was an abundance of businesspeople unrelated to the construction sector.

In the new scenario, competitiveness prevails

For Evangelina Darsie, Commercial Director of the construction materials sales company Darsie, in the new scenario "we must be more efficient with fixed costs; we must generate sales volume."

"With brand, presence, and service, we can compete," she said.

"Today, we shouldn't have stock, but just in time, and we've got that running smoothly," she added.

"We're all learning to market with very different rules of the game, where competition is opening up even though there is informality, which is a problem that must be solved," she concluded.